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New Braunfels Herald Zeitung (Newspaper) - June 7, 2007, New Braunfels, Texas
THURSDAY, JUNE 7,2007
Zeitung
Serving New Braunfels and Comal County since 1852.
Vol. 154, No. 178 16 pages, 2 sections
500
WWW,
herald-zeitung.com
Dome dropped by winds
By Mark Koopmans
The Herald-Zeitung
In the 1989 movie, “Field of Dreams,” an Iowa farmer hears a voice in his corn field that tells him, “If you build it, they will come.”
Following the unusual advice, the farmer builds a baseball field, which ironically, after filming was complete,
The wind storm on Sunday flattened the Texas Sports Court building in north New Braunfels.
remains a tourist attraction.
Now, two local residents who have spent the last 18 months building their own “gym of dreams," which was only two weeks away from opening, are hoping their plans to open an indoor, interchangeable sports facility haven’t been crushed like their air-supported structure was during Sunday night’s storm.
“I was here until the light went at about 8:15 p.m. Sunday night,” Kenny Johnson said Wednesday. “I checked the dome’s pressure, locked up and everything was fine. I couldn’t believe it when I got here Monday morning — I took a look around and just cried my eyes out.”
Along with his partner, Chad Brewer, Johnson is the co-founder of Texas Court Sports. The partners’ 14,000-square-foot air-supported dome, which was 45 feet high in its center, was erected on leased property next to the Texas Ski Ranch in New Braunfels.
The two men from San Diego did not know each other when they moved with their respective families to Comal County about two years ago. However, while working at the Bluebonnet Ford dealership in New Braunfels, they developed first a friendship, and then a Christian-based business plan, Johnson said.
“There isn’t anything like this humidity in San Diego, and yet, they have a lot of indoor facilities for the kids over there,” Brewer said. “Theres nothing like that here. We agreed there was a real need for a Christian-based indoor
See DOME, Page 3A
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AG’s opinion sought on city’s river ordinances
Judge orders STOP city attorneys to meet; next hearing set for June 21
By Suzanne Ashe
The Herald-Zeitung
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has been asked to decide if he should intervene in the lawsuit filed by attorneys for the Stop The Ordinances Please against the city of New Braunfels.
STOP attorneys sent their pleading alleging to the attorney general’s office Tuesday the city’s river ordinances are unconstitutional.
“The judge said that he’s going to have to follow the law of the state of Texas and abate the case until the attorney general has had the opportunity to respond and determine whether or not they want to intervene in the lawsuit,” said Bradford Bullock, an attorney with the McKamie Law Offices, which is representing the city.
Visiting Judge Ron Carr,
who is presiding over the case in place of District Judge Charles Ramsay who recused himself, gave the attorney general until June 18 to respond to the lawsuit.
The next hearing is 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 21.
Carr instructed both sides’ attorneys to hold a settlement conference to see if they can get together and narrow down the issues in the lawsuit.
“I believe it was suggested by plaintiff’s counsel to see if some of the issues they plead in their new pleadings could lie resolved or narrowed at least in the interest of judicial economy. Judge Carr ordered tJiat we do so,” said Mick McKamie. “ We ll confer with the plaintiff ’s counsel to determine if there are any issues that they want to propose
See RIVER, Page 3A
Stakeholders meet to discuss Edwards aquifer plans today
Legislation to raise pumping limits awaiting Gov. Rick Perry’s signature
By David Saleh Rauf
The Herald-Zeitung
Edwards aquifer stakeholders will participate in their first meeting today to discuss the best ways to manage the aquifer since state lawmakers passed an omnibus water bill that authorizes pumping limits to be raised by almost 25 percent.
Under Senate Bill 3, which has been signed in both chambers and now
awaits Gov. Rick Perry’s signature before it becomes law, the Edwards Aquifer Authority would be allowed to increase pumping from its current cap of 450,000 acre-feet per year to 572,000 acre-feet per year. The measure gives San Antonio Water System higher pumping caps despite opposition from environmentalists and municipalities dependent
See EDWARDS, Page 2A
San Antonio nuns offer prayers for Spurs bidding to win NBA crown
them. She watched or listened to every game, praying for the team and corresponding with Coach Gregg Popovich.
Even as Conte suffered from a congestive heart condition and was ordered to bed during the regular season, she lay listening to the games on the radio. When she was ordered to a hospital, she had one question as she waited with another sister: “Am I going to
See NUNS, Page 3A
MORE IN IT FOR YOU...POWER of NEWSPAPERS in EDUCATIONNewspapers make great teaching tools!
By Michelle Roberts
Associated Press Writer
SAN ANTONIO — In their simple convent, where rows of chairs are arranged in front of a television and a crucifix, the 23 nuns of the Salesian Sisters of Mary Immaculate Province briefly put aside their pleas for the sick and the poor to pray for the San Antonio Spurs.
With basketball players’ names pinned to white
smocks beneath their habits, the sisters faithfully gather at game time in the convent’s community room, yelling “Make that basket!” and “C’mon!”
“We pray for them to win, but we also pray for them to continue their sportsmanship," said Sister Sandra Neaves, head of the order in the Western U.S.
“We make a lot of noise in that room,” laughed Sister Angelina Gomez.
The Spurs have embraced the nuns, hoping to harness the power of prayer during their attempt at a fourth NBA title.
“Having them in our comer can never hurt, and we’ll take any advantage we can,” said Spurs spokesman Tom James. “We’re obviously fortunate in this city to have wonderful fans of all ages and from all walks of life.”
On Thursday, four of the nuns will attend the opening
game of the championship series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The tickets were a gift from the NBA.
Those staying home will gather around the convent television. Neaves said not all will be able to keep cheering through the end of the late game; many are elderly and some are ill. But she said they will be
8 p.m. Tonight ABC
cheering at tip-off with popcorn and prayers.
In a city where the words “Go Spurs Go” are plastered on skyscrapers and banged-up station wagons, the nuns say they are inspired by what the team means to the community and by one particular sister who died earlier this year. Sister Filomena Conte, 86, was the most avid fan among
Texas Court Sports owners Kenny Johnson, left, and Chad Brewer stand in what was the inside of their soon-to-open sports center next to the Texas Ski Ranch Wednesday afternoon.
The building, pictured inset, was destroyed by high winds Sunday night.
Photos by DAVID INGRAM
Herald-Zeitung
‘Gym of dreams5 was set to open in two weeks
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